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bluepenguinstories · 4 years ago

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Remoras Full Chapter XXIII: You Are My Sunshine

I loved myself a good rumor, didn’t I?

At least that’s how I saw myself for as long as I could remember. Now, however, I think I was fine if I didn’t hear any other words of intrigue or mystique again. No utterances of possible supernatural activity. If there were to be gossip, I’d listen in, but not involve myself. It was strange to think that things have developed in such a way. How I came to develop in such a way was a mystery to me. One that I wasn’t keen on solving, either, but I just couldn’t pinpoint how or why it happened.

Sunny had gone to the hospital for a short bit. Her injuries weren’t too serious, and she got herself checked out right away. When she returned, she walked with crutches. It would have to be that way for a few days, it seemed. Not much longer than that, at least.

“I think I know what it’s like,” she confided to me upon her return. “When you suffer such a loss that it starts to put things into perspective and you wonder if you can go on with the way you’ve been living.”

When she relayed that to me, I had been at my desk and sipping a cup of Darjeeling tea with a lemon slice. After I gave a short nod and set my teacup down, I responded:

“Are you saying it’s like me with my hand?”

“Well, it could be similar.”

“Hm. I wonder.” My eyes seemed to look past her. Into nothing at all. “I’m not sure whether it was the injury or the recovery that did it for me. Then again, I may have already been this way before it all happened. There’s no telling, really.”

Then, as a form of reassurance, I smiled.

“But look at you: you’re tough. You’ll heal. Your injuries weren’t as bad as they could have been, and I’m sure if you still have the desire to, you can go right back to adventuring.”

“What about you?” She asked, concerned. As if there were any reason to be.

“Me? Adventuring was never my thing. What I like is spending time with you, but I don’t have to do that all the time, either. I’ve always preferred to watch, and if need be, talk things out with others. Work out a deal. What I want to do now is pretty clear to me: run the diner and have a steady base of customers. Listen to people’s problems. Be a humble bartender. Stuff like that.”

‘Stuff like that.’ Easier said than done.

“Still, I wonder who that person was,” she pondered, index finger and thumb on her chin, as if she were playing the part of a detective.

Yes. That was a mystery, wasn’t it? Another person, similar to Remora. So much so that said person would be mistaken for…

“Hm. Yes. I suppose we’ll have to ask Remora about that when she gets back.” After Sunny returned from her trip, Demetria left to investigate. ‘Why the sudden interest?’ I might have asked her, but then, the name Rhea had been mentioned enough times by now that she was like an elephant in the room, lingering (though I suppose a more apt description would be a ghost, whose name haunts each of us within the diner). If anyone bothered to explain to her just who she was, perhaps the curiosity wouldn’t have existed.

Soon after Demetria left, so too did Remora. Perhaps guilt over the fact that not one, but two people may be put in danger because of someone she knew, but never thought to tell us. If I were to try to see from her perspective, it would make sense not to, as she never had any reason to believe anyone else like her would pose a threat, let alone be in the same universe as her. Of course, she could have said something before Demetria left, to clear up any misconceptions, but she didn’t, and thus, it weighed on her.

...Of course, that was all speculation on my part. There was no way to tell what she was thinking unless I could see into her head. Even if she were to tell me her reasoning, there would be a context missing that made up a key element.

Before I could ponder any longer, I heard a loud slam coming from the front of the diner as the howl of the wind’s chill hummed through the air.

“Now I wonder who that could be,” I was resigned to ponder instead.

“I’ll go see! You can stay right there!” Sunny gave me a thumbs up.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea given your current condition?” I asked as my eyes darted between the two crutches she held onto.

In response, she lifted one arm and tapped me over the head with the crutch.

“This? It’s nothing. I’m still badass,” she declared, and with it, any sense of melancholy she held just a moment ago dissipated into the air.

As she got up, I heard a thunderous voice carry all the way to the back, which was quite a feat given how insulated the whole place was. Privacy was one of the few things I valued.

“WE’VE COME FOR FOOD!” Boomed an authoritative voice, both serious in the owner’s intent, and a sense of joviality thrown in. In short, it wasn’t anyone I recognized.

“Oh my...I know who this is…” Sunny murmured as she picked herself up and headed toward the door.

That piqued my interest. Someone boisterous like Sunny seemed like right up her alley. But that ‘oh my’ brought with it some doubt. If not for that, I would have thought, any friend of Sunny is a friend of mine.

An anxious breath, then I pushed myself away from my desk and shifted out of my seat. Along the way, I heard chatter from the front and much commotion. This time, however, none of it registered in my head. Then, upon opening the door to the front of the diner, I saw what the commotion was: seated in one of the booths was a red headed woman with long, messy hair, and her legs propped up on the table, crossed together. I noticed a smug smile situated on her face. Next to her were a couple of men and another red headed woman, but they stood off to the side and didn’t look like they wanted to bring much attention to themselves.

“Jeez, what happened to you, Sunny?” The smug one in the booth asked. “What happened to that tough gal who gave me a good beating?”

“Heh. I’m still badass,” Sunny reassured, just as she had to me, and then she lifted one crutch up and pretended to shoot it like it was a gun. “Bam! Bam!”

Sunny motioned over to the booth and I stepped forward once more.

“Get your feet off the table. This is a respectable establishment,” I commanded, my voice much more gruff than I would have expected from myself. In response, the smug looking woman turned to me and gave an annoyed grimace, but did as I said.

“Jeez, man. Don’t be such a buzzkill,” she retorted. Those words had no effect on me and I continued to stare down at her. Those people she surrounded herself with, her mannerisms, they all brought me to the realization that I had a pretty good idea who she was.

“You’re Aurora B, aren’t you?” I asked, plain. Almost rhetorical in nature.

“What’s it to you, old man?” She shot back. “Sheesh, what’s a woman gotta do to get some good food around here?”

“Place your order with me and I’ll have my head chef cook it for you. Is it fair to assume that you intend to pay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she waved off, then turned her attention back to Sunny. “Seriously though, how’d you get in such a state?”

“Similar to what happened to you when you first came here: I fought someone I didn’t know and bit off more than I can chew. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if I’ve still got it.”

“P’fft!” She spat. “C’mon. Arm wrestle me.”

I cleared my throat.

“Ahem. Are you going to order?” I interrupted.

“Oh. Yeah. I’ll have a stack of chocolate chip crepes with scrambled eggs on the side. What d’ya what, Russell? Stewie? Allison?”

The three leapt, as if they had zoned out until their names were spoken.

“Clam chowder and whiskey for me,” one of the men, a rather rugged looking one with hair seeming to cover every speck of his face.

“Uh, poutine? I think we’re in Canada?” The scrawnier man with stringy brown hair in a green shirt drawled.

Not exactly, but I can make it, I thought. However, I didn’t bother speaking such a detail. It seemed unnecessary to me.

“How about salamat, since I’m pretty sure we’re close to Siberia?” Raised the hand of the spunky woman with red, shoulder length hair, all curled inward.

Not a dish I’ve been asked to make, but I can make it. Just a porridge dish with horse fat, sweet cream, and fish. Shouldn’t be too hard.

“Very well. Seat yourselves. I’ll get your meals started.”

All that time and I forgot to actually hand menus out to them.

I’ll have to help out Tigershark with some of these dishes.

Before I departed, I watched as Aurora and Sunny arm wrestled, a one-sided struggle as Aurora clung with desperation as she tried to last for more than a few seconds. At last, she was bested.

“Aw, damn. I wanted her to win, but I didn’t wanna lose! Hey Russ, you arm wrestle her!”

The forlorn man with endless facial hair shrugged and took a seat next to Aurora. As far as I was concerned, it was a foregone conclusion that Sunny would win.

Once in the kitchen, I found Tigershark in her usual position: on top of a step stool stirring a large bowl. I glanced past her and noticed that the sink was clean and empty. Good.

“What’cha got?” I asked. She looked over and beamed at me, a grin from ear to ear.

“I’m making brownies!” She declared.

“Great. Do you think you can put that on hold for now so we can whip up a few meals for our guests?”

That excited her more. Just as it should have excited me to know that there were people to serve.

“Guests? Who?” She jumped up on her stool.

“Oh, just Aurora and a few members of her crew,” I shrugged, the information not of much interest to me, though I figured she must have encountered Aurora while I was in the hospital, just as Sunny and Demetria have.

“Ooh! Is Astraea there, too?” She pumped her fists and looked eager for me to say yes. Instead, I shook my head.

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe so,” I broke the news, which I was sure must have been disheartening. I even heard an “aww” once I gave her my answer, but it soon shifted to other excitement.

“I bet you’d love to meet her! She’s great!” Tigershark spoke with such a confidence that I had to believe her.

Would I? In a general sense, I suppose there are plenty of people I would love to meet, so long as they have something interesting to offer.

“Well,” I smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”

Together, we got to work as I walked her through the meals, the crepes and clam chowder being the easiest, as she had made them before. For the other two, though, it was much more of an involved collaboration, with us splitting the work.

Once it had all finished, I brought it out. Aurora was on the floor with her knees up, while her crew was seated at the booth behind Sunny.

“All right, you’ve beaten everyone here at arm wrestling, but we have yet to try leg wrestling! What do you say?” Aurora, seeming ever competitive, egged on.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, given the whole reason I’m on crutches is ‘cause I got stabbed in the knee,” Sunny replied while stifling back laughter.

I closed my eyes and shook my head, then turned to deliver the food first to her crew mates.

“Here you go. Hope you enjoy,” I spoke as I slid them their food, then added, “and make sure you pay for your meals.”

“Aurora’s footing the bill,” Russell, the rugged and grisly man grunted.

“Fine by me. So long as someone does,” I replied.

“For the record, I don’t have a lot of arm strength to begin with,” the freckled redhead informed me, then waved finger guns at me. Allison must’ve been her name. “Thanks for the meal, by the way!”

I had to hand it to her, out of all the foods that I could have been asked to make, I wasn’t expecting a dish typically served in Siberia.

Stewie sat slumped over, head hung at the end of the booth and with red eyes, he looked half asleep. When I slid his plate of poutine over, he gasped.

“It’s like...magic. Things happen, then I make an action,” his words were a yawned drawl.

“Don’t worry about him,” Allison assured me. “He’s just a little faded. He’ll eat up the whole plate in no time.”

Believe me, I wasn’t worried about that, I thought to reply, but didn’t.

“Thank you for letting me know,” I instead told her.

“No prob, chief!”

There was one more person to serve. I stopped and looked down at the ridiculous, but supposedly fearsome bandit.

“Get up off the floor. I’ve got your food,” I told her.

She scrambled up, a rather undignified stumble back into her seat, right across from Sunny.

“What’s up this guy’s butt?” Aurora complained to Sunny as she pointed her thumb at me.

“Nothing! And ‘this guy’ is my husband,” Sunny corrected.

“Not only that,” I added. “But I’m also the owner of this diner.”

“Real shit?” She looked at me, then back at Sunny. “What happened to the kid?”

“She’s been made the head chef,” I explained in Sunny’s stead.

“Bah. What a downgrade.”

“Considering who you are, I could force you to leave,” I reminded her.

“Chill, dude,” fear and concern in her voice as she tried to keep her composure. “I said I’d pay for the meals. You really need to lighten up.”

Escaped from me was a heavy sigh. If only you knew the irony of such a statement, was my initial thought before my thoughts then relented.

She’s right, though. I used to be much more relaxed and jovial than I am now. People like her I would have found amusing, not a nuisance. Why I’m not that way now, I don’t know.

Although it felt forced, I smiled.

“How about you and I cut a deal? I will allow you to come and go as you please with free meals for you and your crew. I will also look past any of the robberies you do. In turn, I want you to promote my restaurant wherever you go. Sound good?” Maybe it was that I too was rusty and far past my old ways, but I could still try and amuse myself.

“Or…” She rolled her eyes and looked away. “I could just shoot you and get my free meals that way.”

My smile grew. Oh, that confidence on her was admirable, if nothing else. I held up my prosthetic arm and began a boast of my own.

“Try it and my arm will deflect any shot you fire. It’s made of an impenetrable steel, impervious to bullets and explosives alike.”

She didn’t look convinced, so I pulled out a kitchen knife from my pocket and held it up to the index finger of my prosthetic arm. As I stared at her, a devilish look on my face, I made a slicing motion against the finger.

“See? Nothing. It’s that powerful.”

Dr. Cole-Slaw would kill me if she saw the trick I was pulling. I’m pretty sure this arm isn’t just some cheap plastic.

“All right, all right!” Genuine fear and concern showed on her face as her voice trembled. “It’s a deal! What gives, anyway, man?!”

“Loathe as I am to admit, but I appreciate hearing about the customer you brought in after you robbed the store he worked at. I want you to keep at it. Direct more customers my way.”

“OK...but wouldn’t the authorities kick down the door and be like ‘why was this robber telling people to go eat at your restaurant’?” She rebutted.

“If that happens, all I would have to do is tell them, ‘if a gang told people to go eat at McDonalds, do you really think McDonalds would be culpable just because that’s where that gang likes to eat? Or am I being targeted because I’m an independent business?’ But, I’m not worried about that. This is the middle of nowhere: there are no such authorities here.”

This time, a smug grin had torn its way across her face as well.

“Hell yeah. I like the way you think. All right, you got yourself a deal.”

I dug my hands into my pocket and hummed.

“Now, then. Enjoy your meal,” I concluded as I bade her and the members of her crew goodbye. As much as it still seemed to come natural to me, it felt quite the opposite. I needed to unwind. Such a simple deal and it just felt stale.

Once I made it back to the desk, I sunk my head down low.

I’m trying to build something. I just don’t know what.

It’s been that way for years. As far back as over a decade ago. Even when I had a thriving business, I continued to make deals left and right, and always made it seem like I was advancing toward something. Some may have suggested that I was building up an empire, but I never had any interest in such a thing. It was just as Remora had said; I did things just to do them. Just to amuse myself.

My mind drifted to about fifteen years ago, when Sunny still went on her adventures and I sought to broker a deal with a time-traveling mafia boss named Tony (or Antonio, as he prefers) Falsetto. He and his gang had some valuable services that I could utilize, so he often gave me jobs. However, during our first meeting, our relationship proved more contentious.

“What can you offer me?” He asked when I approached him.

“Whatever you need done,” I replied. As far as things went, I was about an all around jack-of-all-trades.

He was seated in a bean bag chair in the basement of his house (his base of operations), smoking a hash pipe as he stroked a pet iguana situated on his lap.

“I don’t need no handyman. I need someone who I can count on to fix my house,” he spoke in a grisly deadpan tone as he stamped out the ashes of his hash pipe.

I was about ready to open my mouth, explain to him the absurdity of his statement, when he looked up from his bean bag, his pudgy face turned to a nasty frown.

“There was a guy who I lent my services to – all was smooth in the beginning, but then he started missing his payments. Next thing I hear, he’s working for a business rival of mine who told him that his debts are forgiven. As if they get to make that call.”

I could already tell where he was going with all that. What would have been nice was if I managed to weave together some words.

“So you would like someone to convince him to pay off what he owes you, I take it?” I suggested. Not that I was some kinda fool, but I had to try my luck. That luck proved fruitless, as my suggestion was met by a fit of laughter from his associates in the room.

“You hear that, boys? This Patsy thinks I just wanna have a nice little chit-chat.”

He looked over at his audience while I just stood there, waiting to be addressed again.

“Listen, Ray. You seem like a nice guy. But this is business, and business is cutthroat. You gotta get your hands dirty sometimes. We’ve given him chances. Now that it’s come to this, the time for negotiations are over. Catch my drift?”

I pushed up my glasses but didn’t avert my gaze for even a second.

“I reckon I do,” I replied, flat in my delivery.

“If you ain’t up for the job, then I’ve got no use for you.”

Such an unsavory prospect, but when I wanted to secure a deal, I put my grievances aside.

“Oh, I’m up for it,” I smiled, my voice calm and breathy. “I know my way around a gun.”

Nerves in my hands flared, an odd detail for my memory to focus on, but one that I recall. Something I would have rather not done, but would accept, regardless. Such a burning sensation through me, yet I maintained my composure.

“Really now? ‘Cause you don’t strike me as a tough guy,” a smile peeked its way through his cracked lips.

Hands in my pockets, I shrugged.

“Don’t believe me? How about you accompany me to your target’s execution and see for yourself?” Once again, a suggestion which I was sure he was all but thrilled about.

He put his hands out in front of him and gave a sour expression as he shook his head, the cheeks on his face flapped about in a manner similar to raw chicken breasts.

“Forgive me for having trust issues, but how do I know you wouldn’t just take that opportunity to turn your gun against me?”

“Simple,” once again, a shrug. Nonchalant, almost absent-minded in my reply. “You’re more use to me alive than dead.”

Around the room came a hushed silence as all eyes turned to me. My heart rate remained normal, yet everyone else seemed to take upmost offense to my statement.

“You seem to be forgetting who holds the cards here,” Tony served to remind me, then tapped his hash pipe again against an ashtray. “Not to mention, if you’re good enough for the job, you wouldn’t need anyone to chaperon you.”

His dead stare pierced through my disinterested one. For far longer than necessary, a silence filled the room, then, without invitation, I broke the silence.

“That is true. I just figured I would offer some assurance, but either way, it’s no problem to me. Your call, Tony.”

“Very well. I’ll watch you. But I’ll bring a couple of my men as well, so try any funny business and there’ll be so many holes in your suede suit that no tailor can fix it.”

In his drawer, he reached for something. My first thought, I admit, was a pistol. Like he was ready to shoot me dead for my attitude. However, what he pulled out instead was a small box. He opened the box, which contained a plastic ring inside. Cherry flavored hard candy in the shape of a gemstone. I believe those things were called “Ring Pops.”

“As you know, loyalty is very important to me,” he explained as he fastened it upon his middle finger, then looked back up at me. “Now, kiss the ring.”

So the job went underway: I was crouched down on a rooftop, having taken cover behind a crate where I propped up a scoped rifle. Behind me stood Tony and his men. No pressure.

I focused on the scope and positioned the rifle downward where a bald man stood in front of a back alley doorway. From what I understood, the “rival business” had hired him as their personal bouncer. It pained me to think that soon the clean, beige metal doorway would soon have a streak of red spray paint. It pained me even more to think that I didn’t get a chance to work something out with the man I was about to execute. I could have met with him in private and said, “there’s a powerful gang that wants you dead, but if you pay me, I’ll escort you away from here where they can’t find you.” If I had done that, maybe Tony would have assumed that man was dead without me having to kill him.

Oh well. Live and learn. It wasn’t about a lack of experience, but just a lack of options; I had cornered myself in order to earn Tony’s trust, and there was no worming out of it.

So yes: I pulled the trigger. First came his body, knocked back like a ragdoll against the door as the shot rang. Then, he fell, and a streak of blood was left behind.

I huffed. Less of a sigh, it was either my first time or close to my first time having taken a life. My eyes stung to the point that it felt like someone had run a shard of glass against my eyelids. Nevertheless, I stood up and handed the gun back to Tony.

“I’m impressed. How’d you learn to shoot like that? Got military experience or something?” He asked, just as stunned as I felt, but for different reasons.

“I looked up tutorials online,” I replied. As far as I was concerned, he needed no explanation.

“Bullshit. How’d you get such a perfect shot, anyway, if you’re wearin’ glasses?”

“That’s what the glasses are there for,” as if it weren’t obvious.

Now imagine that, but played on repeat. Spread out over the course of a couple years. One more headshot in much the same manner. I packed the gun up. By that point, it no longer belonged to Tony, but me, but whenever possible, I tried to find reasons not to use it. As I looked below, the lifeless body sat and the image of them being knocked down was still burned in my mind.

I shook my head.

“I never get used to it,” I lamented.

“It’s not about getting used to it, it’s about doing what’s necessary,” Tony corrected.

“Is it necessary? To me it’s just a waste. People are far more useful alive than dead. There’s so much more worth in a human’s life, so much potential, all gone in an instant. You tell me that with your job, it’s not personal and it’s just business, but tell me: how much effort do you put in to work things out? Or do you just decide you don’t have the patience, or that they’ve betrayed your trust enough times that they have to go?”

He turned his head away and spat out some chewing tobacco. There was a small, pink glob which brought me to believe that he had also been chewing gum.

“If you want to do things your way, you shouldn’t be working with me,” he rasped.

We descended from the roof and headed back to his base of operations, a few of his guys behind me.

“Sorry, Tony. I just prefer to get things done with my words,” my reply was overdue, now it was more of a matter of fact statement. “I’m just more of a wise guy than a tough guy.”

He looked up at me, squinted, and growled.

“You’re a wise guy, eh? Well, I don’t need a wise guy, I need a tough guy.”

As large and heavy as his frame was, he was at least a head shorter than I. So Tony wanted a tough guy? Then I supposed I would put on a show. I grabbed him by the collar with a tight grip. He flailed about, but I lifted him high enough so that we met eye to eye. My eyes a fierce gaze. His, a fury, but a sliver of fear shone through as well. His men looked about ready to act.

“What’s the big idea?” He squeaked out his words as he squirmed. At last, after a few seconds, I smiled.

“Lighten up, will ya?” I spoke at last with a chuckle, then set him down and began to walk off. From my peripheral, I could tell how just how pissed he was as he stomped on the ground and made little squealing sounds.

“You know, one of these days, you might turn your back on someone, and they’ll shoot you right in the back!” He yelled. “What then?”

I turned my head, still smiling.

“Then I’ll lean over, pick it up, and say ‘hey, you dropped something’.”

In reality, if Remora had shot me in the back instead of the hand, I wouldn’t have gone through so much with her. My life would have been put to an end as well. Really, it was much better to be alive than dead, even with all the weight and pain that being alive can bring with it. But at the time, all those years ago, I must have felt I was invincible.

As it had been a couple of years after my first meeting with Tony, he and I were a little chummier, despite the tension which still arose. We both saw each other as reliable assets. By that point, I considered myself with the better end of the stick, as I had made deals all over, not just with Tony, and always managed to stay on top of any potential debts. Behind me was a tangled web made of steel twine where there was a myriad of figures who owed me favors. I never set a due date, never threatened, and in many cases, the things I offered others often seemed like they were getting the better deal.

Other changes had occurred as well: Sunny took a break from her usual adventuring and I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed to prepare for the upcoming development in my life. However, that particular night when I had just questioned Tony’s methods, I sat on a shelf with a wine bottle in my hand. Soon, that sit turned to a lay, as my legs slid down, with one leg hanging off from the shelf and dangled onto the floor.

“A whole bottle of wine? Really?” One of Tony’s men thought I was ridiculous, as the others cheered over beef stew and pancakes, served with glasses of champagne.

I took a large gulp, then a chug from the wine bottle, then waved it around, already in a sort of buzzed trance.

“It’s what the man wants,” Tony told his associates.

“But boss, you’re really gonna give him that whole thing after he just told you off?”

“That man has done more for me these past couple years than some of you chumps!” He pointed.

That hardly seems fair, I thought. I’m sure they all pulled their weight as well.

“Despite not being one of us, he’s family. I love him like a brother,” Tony went on. “Brothers, we fight sometimes, we have disagreements. But then we hug, we kiss, we sing the blues. Capisce?

I cackled an unbecoming laugh.

“You know what they say about wine, right?” I looked around the room. As I recall, everyone was somewhat of a blur.

“What?” One asked.

“It’s all just sour grapes anyway!” I howled with laughter, then covered my face as it soon turned to heavy breaths.

“You know…” I heaved out the words as if they were my last gasping breath. “My wife, Sunny, she’s six months pregnant. We got a kid on the way and everything. It’s exciting…”

I began to look inward, away from the rest of them, my arm still over my face and my face toward the wall.

“Damn it, Ray! What are you doing still helpin’ me out when you’re gonna have a kid to take care of? Let me tell you from experience: family’s the most important thing.”

“I had to ensure that I had all the resources I needed,” I explained, still just a little vague.

“Anything you needed, Ray, I would’ve given it to you. No questions asked. I thought we were close enough for you to know that.”

“Thank you, Tony. I think I’ll put all these deal makings behind me and settle down,” I should’ve told him. My reply instead was:

“Do you know how Sunny and I first met?” I asked, to no one at all and in response, no one answered. I started to sob, a total salt fountain which ran down my face. The sound I then made was between a laugh and a sob.

“...That’s the thing: I can’t remember,” I finished the punchline.

For the record, after I sobered up some, I had no problem recollecting how Sunny and I met, but the truth was, no one needed some elaborate story. It wasn’t some magical or even ridiculous thing. It was just mundane. Nothing worth mentioning.

Just a couple nights later, I was situated on the floor of the diner along with Sunny seated behind me. Back then, it was less common for the diner to lack customers, but I recall that particular night being relieved for it.

“You know, I think once Elodie is born, I’ll call it quits with making all these deals and settle down,” I told her as I took a puff from my joint.

“If that’s what you wanna do,” she replied.

“What about you? It’s not like you can go right back to adventuring as soon as she’s born,” I pointed out.

“Who says? I’ve always hated the notion that couples have to stop having fun once they have a kid,” she countered.

“Gonna carry her on your back while you go mountain climbing?” I posed the idea.

“Sure, why not?” Without hesitation came her reply, sounding enthusiastic at the very notion.

I took another puff.

“Neither of us are fit to be parents. What are we doing? Why did we agree this was a good idea?”

“Because it sounds like fun!” She answered with glee.

“I guess you’d be the judge, seeing as you’re the one that’s pregnant.”

I tried to imagine all the kicks and morning sickness and strange cravings. No idea how she came to find any of that fun, but to her it must have seemed like just another adventure.

“I’m fine if you want to go off and do your own thing,” I assured her. “I could stay and watch her. I think at least for the first year, it would be good for you to be there as well, but I trust your judgment.”

“You know, I know I shouldn’t, but I do. I worry about our future,” Sunny confided. “What with you saying you’re going to stay home all the time, I’m worried we’re going to live like our only function will be to take care of someone else, and I don’t know, that makes me feel like we’re getting old. I don’t just wanna resign myself to that.”

“Everyone ages,” I reminded her. “Even journeys have to come to an end. There’s a beauty to that, too, y’know?”

“What about us? Are we going to get old?”

I didn’t know why she was turning to me for wisdom, and I for one had none to offer. All I had were little quips.

“We’ll age like fine wine,” I told her.

It was hard to believe that so much time had passed. I leaned up from my desk and pulled out the photo gallery on my phone. While I scrolled through the sea of photos, I cycled through ones of Elodie. Both the ones from the six years that I had known her and a few from her year hears after that Violette had sent me. How I wish I had been there for all of those years. Although now I feel it was the right call, back during those first six years, it really seemed like I could commit to such a life.

Sure, there were all the challenges that came with parenting, and that went without saying. But I was patient. I had little trouble keeping my cool. Her cries and her anger could be louder than the howls of winter, but then her smiles and laughter made it all worth it. I’d draw and color with her, read her stories, show her how to cook. It felt great to be able to teach someone else things like that. Things other than schemes and dirty business. Sometimes I worry that I’ve been using Tigershark as a substitute to replace Elodie, which was just the thing I wanted to avoid, but at the same time, it was impossible to avoid the desire to keep a child safe and ensure their well being.

Maybe I missed my chance to reconnect with my daughter. Yes, there was the call at the hospital, but all signs pointed to that being way too little and way too late. Since then, nothing new. I’ve considered mailing her a gift or a card for her birthday, but nothing was planned.

In my mind was a “what if” where Elodie had continued to live with Sunny and I. What kind of bright person would she turn out to be? For that matter, I envisioned a thriving customer base where the diner was always busy. Food always coming and going. Maybe there wouldn’t have been a Tigershark, but she could have visited the diner from time to time with her parents, who were still alive and well. I would have gotten to meet her by another name and the three would be happy with each other. Or angry. But together, and that was the important thing.

...But all that was wishful thinking. I had to remind myself that.

After the decision to have Elodie live with Sunny’s sister, the diner grew quieter.

There were still customers, still the usual chatter, but it all sounded like the hums of elevator music. I had built six years of my life around trying to be a certain type of person, and now I couldn’t be that person anymore. What kind of person could I be, then? What was I to do? That answer didn’t quite come, though I tried to go on as owner of my diner, serving customers and being a friendly face. Sunny went back to going on her little adventures, searching for treasures and being away for months on end. It didn’t take her long after Elodie was gone. To her, she couldn’t just sit in regret, as she felt that wasn’t very productive. At least if negative feelings started to manifest, she could distract herself from them with travel. If that worked for her, great. As for me, I tried to return to my old life as well. It was all I could think to do.

I’d devise great plans, like the ales in the basement underneath the diner. Also underneath the diner, past the barrels of various liquors was a passageway which led to the airport. None of that existed until after Elodie’s departure. All of that either came from the money I had accrued from the deals I made, or a direct result of one. Not to mention the scam I pulled on that billionaire who gave away his private airline to me as well.

Much of it came to serve the purpose of the eventual request system which would come about. Inspired because of the various gossip I would catch while serving the patrons their meals. Sometimes it would just be rubbish about friends and lovers, but other times, there would be talks of unexplained and supernatural phenomenon. Soon a system came into place where I would offer to investigate such rumors and find explanations or solutions in exchange for large sums of money or other rewards.

Disregarding the logistics of how such a system functioned, if its purpose was for me to stave off boredom as well as gain resources, then it served its purposes. But despite all of that, things were different now and I didn’t know what made them different other than the fact that they were.

I got up out of my desk. All that dwelling sure did take a toll. No wonder Sunny preferred not to dwell on things. Sunny and exhaustion went together about as well as a penguin in an Egyptian pyramid.

Back at the front of the diner, the good ol’ Sunflower herself sat at the same booth I left her in. She looked out the window at the white, blanketed landscape with a smile on her face. As I approached the table to greet her, I noticed a note in crude handwriting written on a napkin as well as a stack of cash. I picked up the note and thought to myself, it makes sense that Aurora’s handwriting wouldn’t be very good, but I still appreciate the sentiment. On the note, it read:

“Chin up, Buttercup!

- Aurora B.”

“Was this addressed to you or I?” I asked Sunny, pointing at the note.

“You,” her voice soft and wispy. “I told her how you’ve been having a rough time since leaving the hospital and that you’re usually more relaxed.”

“Heh,” I smiled while pocketing the note and cash. “Maybe I misjudged her.”

“Nah,” she chuckled. “You judged her about right. She can be fun to be around, but also crude and boorish.”

That caused me to let out a little chuckle as well.

“You’re right: those kind of people can be fun. I have a feeling I’ll run into her again.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be right away. However, the door did open up as someone rushed in.

“Brr...so cold!” Demetria shifted into the diner, arms folded and giving off the appearance of a green popsicle.

“You’ve been here a while,” I pointed out to her.

“Doesn’t mean I’m used to it,” she complained.

Now that just leaves the other one. However, that may be a while later, as she took a plane after Demetria had already left.

Demetria took her seat at the booth with Sunny on the opposite end of the table.

“So, how’d it go?” Sunny asked.

“Not Rhea. Someone with purple hair,” Demetria answered.

I see. Well, I suppose purple is easy to mistake for blue in the moonlight. As for me, I’m done with looking for signs of life in the dead.

“I’m exhausted, mind if I lay my head here and rest?” She looked my way and asked me.

“There’s no customers around, feel free,” I gave her the approval, and that was all she needed to lower her head into her arms.

It wasn’t long after that Remora arrived. About an hour or so later, much sooner than expected. I spent my time cleaning around the dining area as a means to keep myself occupied, so I managed to look up and catch her as she walked in. She also shivered her way in and complained of the cold, but I knew that couldn’t be helped no matter the climate.

One thing which surprised me, though, was when she looked over and saw Demetria asleep at the booth.

“Aww,” she commented. “You know, I never noticed how cute she can be until recently.”

“Excuse me?” I blinked, surprised to hear such a thing from her.

“You know, like, objectively speaking,” she clarified, though to me, it didn’t clarify a thing.

“Objectively would mean that you find her as cute as some find babies cute, or puppies, or a cartoon character. Which, not everyone finds babies, puppies, or cartoons cute, so even then, it’s not objective.”

“I think puppies are objectively cute,” she countered. “But also she is objectively cute, to me.”

“Then that would be subjective,” I corrected. “Is there something going on?”

“It’s nothing,” she deflected.

“Are you sure?”

“It can’t be anything, so it’s nothing.”

“I see.” It sure didn’t seem like any sudden developments happened, but then again, I wasn’t around her all of the time to observe. Especially as of late, I haven’t been paying such close attention.

“Even if it is opinion and not fact, it is an honest opinion which I feel no harm in acknowledging,” she elaborated. Again, I wasn’t sure if it helped me understand.

“Would you like me to make you anything to eat?” I offered.

“Elk steak? I am a little hungry and I never realized how much things cost money when you don’t have money.”

“Sure thing.”

I got to work in the kitchen. Tigershark must have been in her room at that point. Doing what, I wasn’t sure. As I prepared the steak, I thought of the events which brought me to meeting Remora. How things have culminated all this time.

It was at the diner, just a couple years back, when I heard the name Rhea Flection. Tony was seated with his husband Al (short for Alphonse). In Tony’s hands was his favorite: Sloppy Joe pancakes. All that beefy mess and fluffy pancake on his face. It came as an insult to my cooking abilities, but I did like to put a smile on the face of an old friend. Al looked disgusted the whole time, but still listened with intent to what Tony had to say:

“You hear? People been sayin’ that Rhea might be alive after all. She probably is, too. Faked her death, I reckon. Thought she could evade judgment, but I haven’t forgotten the massacre she brought on my family. Reduced such a great empire to just a few people in the blink of an eye. That I cannot forgive. If I can kill her myself, get my revenge, restore honor to our family, I don’t know what I’d do. Throw a pizza party, maybe?”

I interrupted before Al could get a word in.

“What’s all this about, Tony?” I asked as I served him more water.

“You wouldn’t understand, Ray. It’s time travel stuff.”

“Try me. I’m down for some intrigue, all the same.”

“All right, here goes: so as you know, the Falsetto family used to be massive, until one day it wasn’t. This inter-dimensional contract killer was assigned to wipe out the entire family. Now, I get it, a job’s a job, but the massacre, my brothers, sisters, godfathers, all gone in a blink of an eye. Not too long ago, word got out that she died while assigned to take out a target placed by an inter-dimensional company called The Flashbulb. Don’t bother looking them up, they’re gone now. Weren’t all that noteworthy in the grand scheme of things, anyway. But now I’m told she’s alive, and up here, no less.”

“Would you like me to find out if the rumors are true?” I offered.

His eyes lit up.

“You would do that? For me? Of course you would, who am I kidding? Just don’t get any ideas and kill her yourself. Most of the times I’ve had you take out people, it was strictly business, but this is something I have to do myself. It’s personal. Understand? If you see her, let me know.”

I nodded. So far, I didn’t have very high expectations, but that would soon change.

“Do you have any information about her so I know what to look for?” I had to dig for a nugget of something, some kind of clue.

From out of his tuxedo, he pulled out an envelope with sheets of paper detailing her background and personality, along with pictures for reference.

“There’s also a file on her that The Flashbulb made, but it’s mostly rubbish. Reads more like a conversation two brothers have over coffee, dig?”

“Got it,” I replied.

Later that night, I looked through those papers and all of the things I read just intrigued me more. Down to her blunt nature, tendency to take things literally, and always feel cold no matter what, I couldn’t help but form an image of a complex, but overall marvelous person.

Sunny was around as well, so I showed the papers off to her as well.

“Look at this, Sunny: this is a rumor among rumors. She’s supposed to be dead in some city, but apparently she’s alive, and here, no less.”

Sunny, too, was excited.

“Hey, she sounds awesome! Just my type of gal! Maybe if you meet her, you can get her to help us with these requests. I’m sure she’d make quick work of them.”

Yes, that was a thought. Just the idea I had as well.

My obsession grew from there as I thought that meeting such a person was just the thing I needed to pull me out of my slump the past few years. I recall showing off such information to Cybele, which she zoned out from the entire time. Couldn’t say I blamed her. Then, there was my good friend, Dr. Shirley Cole.

“Look!” I pointed to the papers as I rushed into her office, the hospital at the time being a little more lively. Well, as lively as a place full of sick and injured people could get. “This is just the thing I need!”

I proceeded to explain what Tony had told me along with the contents of the papers and the intention to recruit her, if she existed. After I was done, Shirley gave her reply.

“So you’re obsessed with some woman? Aren’t you already married?” She questioned.

“That’s not it!” I exclaimed. “This is about a famed assassin! Well, obscure to most people, but famous in her own right!”

She shook her head.

“This obsession can’t be good for you. Take it from me, I used to have a celebrity crush on Danny DeVito when I was younger, but then after sending him thousands of fan letters he sent one back simply with the word ‘stop’. That’s when I knew I had taken it too far, so I had to dial back my love for Danny DeVito. But at the time, could you blame me? I mean, it’s Danny DeVito. I’m pretty sure most people have had a crush on Danny DeVito once or twice.”

I blinked as I tried to process the story she relayed to me.

“I don’t think anyone but you has had a crush on Danny DeVito,” I pointed out. “Anyway, no, it’s not a crush. I’m just imagining how exciting it could be.”

She waved her finger as she paced around the room.

“I would advise you not to pursue this. Even if such a person exists and you meet her, I doubt she would be pleased to be solicited by a stranger.”

“I don’t doubt it at all,” I replied. “I know she wouldn’t be pleased. That’s why I’ve implanted a chip which should help against her bullets, though it does make me feel a little numb at times.”

She just continued to wag her finger and shake her head.

“Ray, you’re worrying me. Please at the very least be careful.”

“I am careful! I’ve been in dangerous situations like this plenty of times!”

But when it came time to meet such a person, I wasn’t careful. Yes, I was prepared, but I just didn’t care. Even though I found what I thought I was looking for, it ended up not being what I expected, and more than that, I didn’t know how to feel about this Remora person. But now, after spending as much time around her as I have, I think I have grown to love her in much the same way I love Tony.

I’m sorry, Tony, but whether or not Remora was the one who was the cause of your misfortune, I cannot allow you to kill her. Nor would I want her to kill you.

When I brought out the steak, Demetria was awake and chatting with Remora.

“So, did you meet her?” Remora asked her.

“Yes. I think I understand you a little better now,” came Demetria’s reply. “But that said, whatever life you had in the past is irrelevant to me. What matters is the person I met.”

Remora nodded, almost seeming pleased, but added, “even so, my past informs who I am now.”

Dear lord, how I wish I had gotten the context, yet even then, I felt it better not to pry. The me of just a couple years ago would have been all too interested, but now I just wanted to want what I already had.

#remoras full #writing #stories #fiction #drama #flashback episode #ray sunshine #remora #mafia #ring pop #aurora #bandits #diner

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blackidyll · 5 years ago

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It's been a long while since I've been on Tumblr, but here I am, trying to get back into my usual rhythm of life. Mainly: I'm alive, but I'm really, really tired.

The end of 2019/beginning of 2020 has been really insane. I fell sick for most of December - the whole cough/cold/sore throat trifecta that got so bad I finally ended up on antibiotics on New Year's Eve. I actually took two weeks of leave in December, but I was so sick and busy during this time that I basically got no rest whatsoever, and when I got back to work in January it was to drop straight into an absolute tsunami of work - one huge project ended the day before Chinese New Year, and immediately after CNY holidays I had another huge executive event to prepare for (I was working over weekends), and when that ended last week I got YET ANOTHER project dumped on me. Covid19 and the political situation in my home country is also taking its toll. I feel like the past two months has been an absolute blur - mostly of stress and negativity.

I'm so tired, you all.

Anyway, I'm trying hard now to pull back and strike a balance between work and having down proper time. I owe quite a few of you replies to messages and chats, and TBH there's like 60+ comments in my AO3 inbox that I haven't had a chance to respond to. I'm going to try hard over the next few weeks to get to all of them. I really appreciate every message and comment I get, because they constantly remind me there's still people and the entire world out there, when sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in my head with all my stresses and worries and the day-to-day grind.

I'm going to go throw a bunch of things in my queue to get this place kickstarted again, but in the meantime - have some fic recs. I've been reading a lot of fic to keep afloat the past three months; these are the WIPs I'm following at the moment. I'm completely out of creativity so my own fics will have to wait, but it always gives me a boost when I see some love for my WIPs, so if any of these appeal to you, give them a read and drop some love to those authors too.

The Bureau Files series by Catsafari [The Cat Returns, episodic/case style canon-based sequel; Baron/Haru]

i kill giants by diasterisms [Star Wars new trilogy; canon-based sequel to The Rise of Skywalker; Rey/Ben]

Ragnarǫkr, Part 3 of the Sharingan Rising series by weialala [Naruto; canon-divergence with supernatural elements; Sasuke-centric, technically Sasuke/Naruto but is more Sasuke's relations with everyone]

Peripeteia, Part 4 of the Carry Your Heart verse by mondaze [Shingeki no Kyojin; canon-based A/B/O verse, eventually diverges at the retake Shinganshina arc because Erwin lives (\o/); Erwin/Levi]

Just Another Day by Tierfal [Fullmetal Alchemist; post-manga series, Roy has severe PTSD; pre-relationship Roy/Ed]

try something new by gdgdbaby [Nezha (2019); post-movie oneshot where the two have grown up and gotten their bodies back; Nezha/Aobing]

WIPs that haven't been updated recently but since I'm on a roll, you all should read them:

Nukume Dori by Leareth [Tokyo Babylon, X/1999; canon-divergence, kind-of time travel with X!Subaru falling back into the TB!timeline with all his memories intact; Subaru/Seishirou, a lot of trio interactions with Hokuto]

boy with a coin, Part 5 of the signal to noise series by twigcollins [The World Ends With You; post-game sequels exploring the consequences of Neku winning the long game and Joshua deciding to bring him back to life; Joshua/Neku]

(more info and my comments on each fic under the cut, because they get long)

The Bureau Files series by Catsafari [The Cat Returns, episodic/case style canon-based sequel; Baron/Haru]

I've been (re)watching Studio Ghibli movies on the weekends and I fell completely in love with The Cat Returns (I love Whisper of the Heart but I missed this movie somehow?). This wonderful sequel fic series focuses on an adult Haru that becomes a full-fledge member of the Cat Bureau and goes on plenty of adventures with the Bureau crew. It's also 500K words (!!!) of delicious slow slow slow SLOW burn between Baron and Haru. I just found out the author will be posting the next installation in the series this month, so you know. Perfect time to read the existing content and then follow the author's weekly updates for more of this amazing series.

i kill giants by diasterisms [Star Wars new trilogy; canon-based sequel to The Rise of Skywalker; Rey/Ben]

Yes, I'm a Reylo fan. I find the grey dynamics between Rey and a vaguely redeemed Ben Solo fascinating. I think it's because I was such a huge Luke and Mara Jade shipper from the Legends days. Anyway, I'd recommend pretty much all of diasterisms's Reylo fics (they nail the characterization + growth arcs incredibly) but this WIP in particular is a direct TROS sequel, which is great for all us fans who were very WTF about the way TROS ended. Also - lots of Force ghosts :D

Ragnarǫkr, Part 2 of the Sharingan Rising series by weialala [Naruto; canon-divergence with supernatural elements; Sasuke-centric, technically Sasuke/Naruto but is more Sasuke's relations with everyone]

I think my bookmark gushes enough about this series (and the previous installment) that I don't need to rehash it here. But anyway, this sequel is flipping amazing. The world building is so incredible omg. The wait between chapters is very long but so very worth it.

Peripeteia, Part 4 of the Carry Your Heart verse by mondaze [Shingeki no Kyojin; canon-based A/B/O verse, eventually diverges at the retake Shinganshina arc because Erwin lives (\o/); Erwin/Levi]

I'm usually very, very particular about my A/B/O verses (the concept squicks me a little but some writers subvert the trope and those are amazing) and this is a really great take on the trope - Erwin and Levi bond first out of necessity and then have to rebuild/realize a romantic relationship out of it later; they're already such strong friends and incredible partners that the bond actually throws them out of whack initially lol. But the evolution of their relationship is so well written, and the sub-plot about Levi being targeted is also great. Anyway, in this particular sequel goes back to the canon-timeline; Erwin survives the Beast Titan charge, everyone finds out about Marley, and the Survey Corps goes on a mission to make contact with the outside world. I don't actually follow the manga but I know enough that this sequel is really intriguing me. Also, Erwin lives. Thank goodness Erwin lives.

Just Another Day by Tierfal [Fullmetal Alchemist; post-manga series, Roy has severe PTSD; pre-relationship Roy/Ed]

Everything Tierfal writes is golden, but this one. Oh man, this one. It gets dark, and sometimes that's bad if you're already stressed (your mood doesn't need more depressing things to drag it down) but sometimes... you also want to indulge in it, because when you see a character go through hard and traumatic times and make it out the other side, it gives you hope too, you know? Anyway, right now at chapter 2, it's all trauma and pain for Roy, so take caution while reading this fic, but......... Ed. Oh my goodness, Ed. He tries so hard. He doesn't give up. This fic reminds me a bit of But Not Buried This Time, where Ed is the one drowning in his guilt... I remember thinking while reading that fic, "goodness, everyone needs a Roy like this in their life." Well, for this fic? I just keep thinking, "goodness, everyone needs an Ed like this in their life."

try something new [Nezha (2019); post-movie oneshot where the two have grown up and gotten their bodies back; Nezha/Aobing]

not a WIP but what the hell. So this version of Nezha is hell of a lot different from the Nezha I remember of my childhood (in that....... Nezha 100% kills Aobing lol and I remember being very conflicted because I love dragons and Nezha kills a lot of them, but at the same time deity!Nezha is pretty badass?). So anyway, someone with creative control DEFINITELY has shipper glasses on when they made this movie, I cannot get over how adorable Nezha and Aobing are. I really enjoyed this movie, it was so over the top and funny. And they made Nezha and Aobing literal soulmates? This fic is cute and adorable because it's Nezha and Aobing traveling and helping the world after they grow up and regain their bodies, and it's just tons of adorable teenage(?) confusion where they're hovering on the edge of friendship and something more. THEY ARE SO ENDEARING I love them!!

Instead of dying on the Promised Day, 25-year-old Dragon of Heaven Subaru wakes up in his 16-year-old body during the Tokyo Babylon timeline. Having seen what the future holds, he decides to continue with his original Bet with Seishirou - this time fighting to win. In the latest installment, we go pass the TB timeline into the years before 1999 and the changes that the divergence makes is just absolutely fascinating, plus we start seeing more of the X/1999 cast, whom I love and adore.

I love Joshua so so much but he digs his own bed willingly and he lies in it with all the broken pride he can muster. He's very much the master of forfeiting the game before he can lose, except this time it's Neku standing beside him, and Neku is very, very stubborn. Trust your bloody partner, Joshua (I say, with all the love in my heart for this Joshua and this poor beleaguered but incredibly stubborn Neku and the all the game mechanics and worldbuilding in this series). Also, the latest cliffhanger is killing me but I'm ready to see Joshua go absolutely feral on anyone who would dare touch his city and his partner.

#*#fic recs #i looked down and then back up and suddenly it's march #and yeah i read in a zillion fandoms that i don't write in. i read a LOT of fanfic #i've been surviving on reading fanfic and listening to studio ghibli OSTs and watching figure skating competitions #i'm so tired i want a nap #btw i've gotten a lot of lovely comments on my fics and i love all of them #but i'm so numb from tiredness it's hard to muster up the energy to reply #but i love them all! esp all the people who commented on my 00Q RB fic #i was feeling very emotional because it's probably going to be my last 00Q fic (unless no time to die really changes things)#and i was stressed from work and CNY obligations but so many people said such lovely things about my 00Q fics #and told me they'll still follow me on tumblr #ahaha i felt guilty because i hadn't been on tumblr for a few weeks even back then #but it was definitely motivation for me to get my ducks back in a row and start using my tumblr again #ngl tumblr will be an escape because if i keep reading local politics and covid19 news on twitter my soul gets sucked into a black hole #i hope everyone else's 2020 is going much better #keep safe keep healthy and please take care of yourselves!!!

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4llmywr1tings · 5 years ago

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Knife Throwing Bad-ass

Characters/Pairings: Jensen X Reader, Jared, Kim, Briana Words: 1,386 Warnings: none A/N: you are a cast member in SPN Tagging: @autoblocked

“Alright guys. It’s Jensen Ackles, and I’m here with my amazing costar’s Jared Padalecki and the beautiful (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

“Wait, why am I last? This is my Facebook live.” You mutter, glaring at your fiancé.

“Well, I was saving best for last.” Jensen snickered as Jared gave the screen an eye roll.

“Let’s bicker later lovebirds. We come to you live with a purpose.” Jared grumbles.

“Yes, we do come to you with a greater purpose than the bickering Jack and I do to annoy Jared. This Thursday we are going to be hosting an awesome event, and watch the new episode with our greatest fans.” You giggle and push Jared with your shoulder, letting him wrap an arm around you. Being squashed in the middle of two of the hottest, and two of your favorite men was a miracle.

What had happened to you, that your life had turned out this way? You were one lucky girl.

“Correct. One big giant get together at the Cineplex at the Odeon International Village Cinemas. Doors open at five pm, and we’ve got the biggest theater in the whole Cineplex.” Jensen grabs your hand smiles to the camera.

“First 100 of y’all will get a meet and greet with us and Misha, and following the episode, you will get to hear us do a table read of some of our favorite scenes of season thirteen.” You roll your eyes. “Or how it usually goes on set with the three of those men.”

“Hey. We aren’t that bad.” Jensen says with feigned hurt.

“Yeah, I guess you aren’t too bad to look at.” Jared smirks.

“Oh wow, we are pretty good at getting off on a tangent. That will be the table read. This Thursday. Again, 5 PM doors open and we can’t wait to see you there.”

“Disclaimer, the theater seats two hundred. And they will turn away after the theater is full.”

“Yes, just tell them you’re here for the Supernatural event and they’ll tell you what to do.” You smile.

“So, until then. We’ll see all y’all at VanCon. We can’t wait to see you there guys!” Jared respond, waving to the camera.

With Jared’s long arms, he takes your phone and quickly ends the live feed and hands you the phone.

“I will post the video to twitter and instagram so you can repost it.” You smile. You kiss Jensen’s cheek as you stand. “Now let’s get this convention over with. I’m ready to have some sleep.”

“At Porncouver? Right.” Jared laughs. “Good luck with that.”

“Well, maybe I’ll take a nap while I get my tattoo. Remember Jense? We need to go soon.”

“Oh, right. Right. I’ll go around and get the car.”

“Please live stream that. I want to see Jensen be a big baby.”

“So supportive Jare. He’s just going with me. It’s a tattoo for my dad.”

“And that is how I talked him in to getting a tattoo with me.” Briana lets out a giggle as you finish your elaborate story.

It was one you had been meaning to get out as soon as possible. You’d rather tell the stories, than fans over analyze and get it all wrong.

You hadn’t gotten matching tattoos and there was no intention of doing that any time soon.

“Can we ask what you got?” The fan at the microphone asked. She had been patiently waiting for you to get through your tangent.

“Oh right, there was a question. Was that your question?”

The fan nods and smiles shyly. “It actually was going to be my question. What’s the meaning behind your tattoo?”

“It’s for my daddy.” You nod and clear your throat. “My dad is the hardest working man in the world, and I wanted to show some sort of support to him and all his hard work. Ya see, my dad all my life. He has been the biggest rock in my life. He worked two and three jobs sometimes to make sure me and my brother and sister had anything we needed. Growing up.”

“But where did the tool belt and hammer and nails come in?” Kim asked, lifting the sleeve to look at your fresh tattoo.

“My dad is in construction. My dad has been in construction since my little brother and sister were born, and it’s been a passion of his. I think almost all of the houses I’ve grown up in he built by his own two hands. I mean, he’s such a great guy. I love the man. He pushed me and my siblings to go on our own adventures and do our own things, whatever they may be. I ended up here.”

“Which we’re glad you’re here.” Kim puts her arm around your shoulder.

“We were always tight on money growing up, and now that I’ve got a steady income – I’m excited to be able to have the money to hire him to build himself his dream home.”

“My question is for Jensen.”

Jared gave his usual frown and fake – disdain upon the fans choosing Jensen over him.

“Always with the fake disdain. Continue please.”

“Well, I was just instagram stalking your girlfriend. And she just recently posted a tbt of you and her…”

“That’s a throwback. If you’re wondering…”

“I’m not old. Jeez.” He grumpily looks to Jared before turning back to the fan and rolling his eyes. “Continue sweetheart.”

“My question is about the sweaters. Who’s idea was it?”

“Well, she’ll claim it as her idea, but it isn’t really how that went.”

“It was actually his mom’s idea. I think that Donna has taken a liking to (Y/N) as much we did, and it was apparent then as much as it is now.” Jared laughs with Jensen and the crowd.

“He’s not lying. She isn’t too bad.”

“So the Austin Ren fair? Seriously? I didn’t think you’d go for something like this.”

“Well, Donna told me how much of a fun time you have there and I’d like to try it out. As long as I’m stuck with you.”

“You’re gonna be stuck with me and my family.” He smiles, giving you a devilish wink.

“I think I know how to handle you. It’s you that I’m worried about.” You brandish a finger at him and he blushes slightly.

“I’m so embarrassed, but my mom made us something. Well, got us something.” He pushes a wrapped bag that he had haphazardly put back together after looking through it.”

“So you obviously didn’t wait?” you laugh, pulling at the tissue paper.

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to die of embarrassment before you opened it. It’s okay. I guess.”

“You guess. That bad huh?” you giggle. First you pull out the first sweater and unfold it. It was Jensen’s size, and on the back it had an “Ackles” with a 01 under it. Not so bad, right? Well, when you pull out the second sweater. On the back there was a “Future Mrs. Ackles” and a 02 under the namesake.

“Future Mrs. Ackles, huh?”

“Yes. She did that. That was all mom. I didn’t put her up to it at all, promise.” He said.

“I love that she thinks that highly of me. I will wear it with honor.”

“That was a wonderful moment. That was also a throwback to when I proposed and she said yes.”

“They were deeply engrained in the Ren Fair and we hadn’t joined up with them, because we were taking photos of the eventual proposal.”

“I was just so happy. She was actually liking the Ren Fair, and this is something that my parents come down to do, and Mack and Josh and their families join us. So I wanted her to have fun.”

“So the one thing he does that I remember seeing before he proposes, was her throwing knives.” Jared laughs. “Like literally she had a throwing knife in her hand when he proposed.”

“And all I was thinking was how proud of her knife throwing skills I was. I mean, look at what Supernatural did for her. Knife throwing.”

Jared laughs and shakes his head. “And now he’s locking her down for life. Weren’t you worried about the knife in your face?”

“Not in the slightest. She’s my knife throwing badass for life.”

#jensen x reader #jensen ackles x reader #jensen ackles one shot #jensen ackles fanfiction #jensen ackles fan fiction #jensen ackles fan fic #jensen ackles fanfic #jensen one shot #jensen fanfiction #jensen fan fiction #jensen fan fic #jensen fanfic #jensen rpf one shot #jensen rpf fanfic #jensen rpf fan fic #jensen rpf fan fiction #jensen rpf fanfiction

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kpoptimeout · 6 years ago

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My Top 10 K-Dramas of 2018 - What’s Yours?

2018 is ending soon and K-Dramaland has once again brought us so many goodies this year. As per our blog’s tradition [For 2017 faves click here], below are my Top 10 favs of the year (my faves in alphabetical order so it might not be yours so please don’t judge)

My only specific criteria this year is that the show must have had started in 2018 to be considered a 2018 series (Hence, Hwayugi and I’m Not A Robot were in last year’s list and honourable mentions)

Lawless Lawyer (tvN)

Every year we have a few stellar Korean legal dramas and Lawless Lawyer is one of them. Starring veterans Lee Joongi and Son Yeji, the drama details a gangster turned lawyer who used unorthodox techniques to win cases and a lawyer-childhood friend-love interest who got into trouble for attacking a judge. After his return from the military, Lee Joongi has acted in many internationally well-received dramas but “Lawless Lawyer” is the first since his return to gain massive commercial success within South Korea and becoming one of the highest viewed dramas on Korean cable channel history. Son Yeji was also able to show her acting chops and shed her pretty girl image through this drama. It is understandable why this drama did well - it was action-packed, had a well-plotted storyline and also the right laughs at the right moments. If you love an amazing legal drama, go watch Lawless Lawyer already!

Memories Of The Alhambra (tvN/Netflix)

You know it’s nearing the year’s end when tvN drops another high budget and experimental drama with a star-studded cast to steal you and the critics’ hearts. This year it is Memories Of The Alhambra, which is an ambitious project jointly produced by tvN and Netflix. Following the success of jointly produced Mr. Sunshine which also made the list, the two studios teamed up for an even crazier project - instead of the guaranteed tear-jerking historical drama they went for a sci-fi/fantasy thriller exploring virtual and augmented reality and business in the digital age. You know they are taking this project seriously when they got the writer for “W” (the Lee Jongsuk and Han Hyojoo hit about the collapse of a comic book world into reality) Song Jaejung to write this screenplay. The show with top cast featuring Hallyu stars and veterans Hyun Bin, Park Shin Hye, and EXO’s Chanyeol with exhilarating graphics and filming in Grenada has been topping online and domestic Korean viewership since its broadcast on December 1st. If you enjoy creative sci-fi adventures with Asian leads, this is the drama for you!

Mr. Sunshine (tvN/Netflix)

One of the first tvN and Netflix collaborations, Mr. Sunshine was an unsurprising hit starring world-famous Korean actor Lee Byung Hoon and South Korea’s favourite young actress Kim Taeri. Other main cast include skilled and popular actors like Yoo Yeonseok, Byung Yohan and Kim Minjung. Throw in the historical Joseon setting and the imminent colonisation by foreign powers, you have a recipe for an awards-sweeper and crowd-pleaser! Besides a plot that easily draws in audiences, the set designs, colour grading, music, and costumes are all phenomenal and is a feast for the senses. My only knit-picking critique is it seems unrealistic that a Korean man can rise to as high a rank as Lee Byung Hoon’s Eugene Choi character in the racist 1800s United States no matter how brilliant Eugene Choi was. But besides that, if you love a historical epic with romance and war, this is the drama you would enjoy!

Ms. Hammurabi (JTBC)

This drama sees Go Ara and Song Dong Il reuniting in their father-daughter/mentor-mentee like dynamic following hit dramas Reply 1994 and Hwarang, with Go Ara being an idealistic former music student who dropped out and self-studied to become a judge, and Song Dong Il being the old geezer and life mentor who only managed to become a judge later in life. They are joined by INFINITE’s L being a by the books judge who likes Go Ara’s wholesome character. The drama is exceptionally touching, not only for its realistic depiction of life as judges in civilian law countries but also as a reflection of people chasing their dreams in different stages of their life. The drama also expertly deals with real-world issues like gender discrimination in the workplace, prejudice to marginalised groups and the issues that come with an inflexible hierarchical structure in South Korea. While there is romance between the leads, this is shown subtly and naturally, without it becoming a distraction to the engaging storyline. If you enjoy a thoughtful drama about society with great acting, this is a drama you would enjoy.

My ID is Gangnam Beauty (JTBC)

Maybe I am slightly biased because I loved the webtoon but I think My ID is Gangnam Beauty is one of the best Korean rom-coms of the year. First I thought the casting was spot-on - ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo perfectly encapsulated the cold and awkward Do Kyungseok and Im Soohyang was able to display the insecurities of Kang Mirae even after plastic surgery well. The drama does a good job of touching on Korean society’s toxic beauty visual standards - it still makes the female lead insecure even after she gets plastic surgery and she gets ridiculed before and after plastic surgery. Meanwhile second female lead Hyun Soo Ah, played by Jo Woori, also struggles as a natural beauty due to fears of people no longer liking her should she ever fall below their expectations in any way. This is a thoughtful drama that does not just demonise characters for the sake of drama but gives us lots of food for thought about why people act the way they do regarding appearances. If you like a drama that is fun and cute but also has a good message, you should check out this drama!

My Mister (tvN)

There are dramas where you skip some scenes because you want to get to the main point. There are some dramas where you want every second of it. My Mister was one of those dramas you watch every second of. It was that good. While many Kdramas still having idealistic female leads who slowly get jaded and turn badass only near the end/are always protected by men and never turn badass, My Mister finally does the move of making the female poor but super resourceful, brilliant and cynical, and already super jaded to begin with. Played by top singer and actress IU, the female lead Lee Jian reverses the usual female lead tropes by slowly learning to see some good in the world and learn to dream following a life of extreme poverty and hardship. The other highlight of the drama is the male lead played by talented actor Lee Sunkyun, whose relationship with his brothers and mother, as well as his crumbling marriage with his wife provide a lot of food for thought on the meaning of family and life. By acting as a mentor of IU’s character while also being saved by IU from lots of drama unknowingly, we see two broken souls learn from each other to be better people. The drama also showcased how romance is not the only meaningful love that exists between communities. If you love an insightful slice-of-life drama with realistic intrigues, betrayals, and character development, you would love My Mister.

Radio Romance (KBS2)

Honestly at this point HIGHLIGHT’s Dojoon is just nation’s drama boyfriend and he continues to pick the good scripts as we can see in Radio Romance. The drama is simple - the assistant writer played by Kim Sohyun’s radio show might get cancelled and she manages to somehow get the top radio star played by Dojoon to host her show. Shenanigans happen and romance blossoms. It is stereotypical but done well, with the right amount of twists and just knowing when it should bounce back from the laughs and side stories. If dramas are all dishes, Radio Romance is like that cheesecake that tastes sweet and light, not so filling that it will you sick. It is the dessert you would always go for to feel good. If you like to watch something that makes you feel warm inside, this is the drama for you!

Something in the Rain (JTBC)

I am usually not super into “the younger dongsaeng has a romance with noona who he knows growing up all of a sudden” stories but there was something special about Something in the Rain. When I first began watching this drama, it did not feel like watching a regular Kdrama at all and more like an indie film from the West. There is a feeling of emptiness at the beginning, possibly to signify the resident noona and veteran actress Son Yejin’s unsuccessful love life. There was a lot of dialogue and cuts and it felt like watching a documentary about the lives of the characters. But it was this formatting of Something in the Rain that makes it feel so genuine. The pace of the leads building up their romance was steady and natural. Hence, it made issues they faced feel all the more real too. If you enjoy a realistic slice-of-life portrayal of romance, you would love this drama!

The Guest (OCN)

When I saw the trailer I already knew this was some scary shit. Following its many successful thrillers last year, OCN decided to dive in the more horror side of a thriller in The Guest. To fit this aesthetic, the drama was broadcasted only at 11pm instead of primetime but still had massive success and rightly so. The acting by the three leads Kim Dong Wook (man who can see ghosts and the future), Kim Jaewook (the cold, exorcist priest), and Jung Eunchae (a detective who does not believe in the supernatural) is phenomenal, making their team up to catch criminal possessed by ghosts all the more exhilarating. The actors who play the possessed are also amazing, making for most of the scares in this drama. If you enjoy a mystery and the horror genre, this is the Kdrama for you!

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (tvN)

Being the most searched Kdrama on Google in South Korea this year, it would not make sense for What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? not to make this list. The drama revolves around the successful but extremely narcissistic company vice chairman played by Park Seojoon and his capable no-nonsense secretary played by Park Minyoung, with the latter quitting after paying off family debts and not being in the mood to work for her annoying boss anymore. The whole process where Park Seojoon tries to retain his secretary of course blossoms into romance etc. etc. One of the reasons this drama did so well was that not only did it have a strong and capable female lead but Park Seojoon defied expectations in his role. As another Kdrama based on a webtoon, original webtoon readers felt like he was not similar to the male lead and were not sure how he would handle the role. But Park Seojoon did a fantastic job, to the point I wanted to bang my head on the table or slap his character whenever he did narcissistic shit. If you want a high-quality rom-com with some unorthodox twists, this is the drama to watch!

Honourable Mentions:

100 Days My Prince (tvN): The fourth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history starring EXO’s D.O and Nam Jihyun, the drama details the marriage between a noblewoman on the run and a crown prince who lost his memory during a failed assassination attempt.

Are You Human? (KBS2): With the actual development of AI in recent years, more Kdramas have embraced the topic of robot-human romances. Seo Kang Joon and Gong Seungyeon star in this story involving a bodyguard and the AI of a chaebol masquerading as the real chaebol who is in a coma.

Still 17 (SBS): A drama involving a 30-year-old man who doesn’t want to grow up due to trauma (Yang Sejong) and a woman who wakes up after a 13-year coma so acts like a 17-year-old even though she is 30 (Shin Hyesun).

Welcome to Waikiki (JTBC): A comedy-drama starring rising actors Kim Junghyun, Lee Yikyung, and Son Seungwon who run a failing guesthouse called Waikiki. Oh, and there’s a single mother and a baby in this crazy mix!

What’s your Top 10 K-Dramas of the Year? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below and may the drama sharing begin (and the road to more excuse for holiday procrastination!)

Also, if you want to check out underrated K-Pop songs of 2018, here are the lists for idol songs, artist songs, and OSTs!

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recentanimenews · 3 years ago

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Bookshelf Briefs 8/26/21

Captivated, By You | By Yama Wayama | Yen Press – A collection of short stories that originally ran in the magazine Comic Beam, they all take place around the same school and feature some of the same cast intermingling with each other, but each can also be read as a standalone. This is not a BL title, but I’d say it’s BL-adjacent, and there are several relationships that you could see going that way. My favorites included a social media relationship done via cut-out “kidnapper” letters, a man trying to reinvent himself in high school… as the creepy dude everyone avoids, and a bullied kid trying to get petty revenge on his bully but being unable to because he’s too decent a person at heart. The stories vary in quality, but the collection overall is very nice. – Sean Gaffney

Days on Fes, Vol. 2 | By Kanato Oka | Yen Press This continues to hit at what it does best, showing off how awesome it can be to go to a music festival. You can hear things you’d never even knew existed, and you might even run into the singer of your favorite band incognito inside the crowd. Will romantic sparks fly?? Well, probably not, because honestly our two girls seem to be really into each other—as with Captivated, By You, this is not yuri or BL but it is yuri and BL-adjacent, as each pair of leads makes an awesome couple but isn’t actually one. If there’s one complaint it’s that so far this is almost entirely on the fan side of things. There’s a suggestion that might change, as we do get a few pages of one band, but I’d like to see more actual music—and more struggles. -Sean Gaffney

Happy Kanako’s Killer Life, Vol. 1 | By Toshiya Wakabayashi | Seven Seas – This is a black, black comedy, and if you find the idea of a happy-go-lucky girl killing people appalling, best to skip it. That said, if you do like black comedy, it’s wonderful. Kanako is an OL who just quit her job and finds that the new one she answered the ad for… is a hit man. Her first target… is her old boss. And she’s really good at killing people. Plus, it’s got great pay, and you get to go out and have meat and alcohol afterwards. Oh yes, and the book is filled with weird animal puns—and the animals appear behind Kanako as she says them, so the translation must have been FUN. This isn’t for everyone, but it’s gleefully silly and dark as hell, as you watch Kanako sink further and further to the dark side. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 20 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – It’s Valentine’s Day, and as you can imagine that means different things to different people in this book. We also find out that Maki is actually one of the most respected students on campus… it’s just we’ve only ever seen her reflected through her hilarious unrequited love, so we don’t get it (and neither do the main cast). Also, exam results are out, which means that Ishigami gets to show off the results of Kaguya’s tutoring… and Shirogane, who’s dropped to twelfth because he’s narrowing his focus to studying English for Stanford. Believe me, there’s still plenty of silliness, mostly from Fujiwara, but the characters are beginning to grow up and throw off the shackles of the past… or have it done for them. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 14 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – Sometimes this series has a long-running arc, and sometimes it just coasts along on pure cute. This volume is one of the latter, and it is very, very cute indeed, which is the main reason people are reading the title, but does make things a bit difficult to pick out to review. Komi and Tadano remain the best couple who aren’t one, and everyone can see it. Manbagi is also clearly very much in denial about her own crush on Tadano, and I anticipate the next arc will be dealing with that. Najimi remains obnoxious but fun, Yamai remains obnoxious and not fun. If you’ve enjoyed other volumes, this is an obvious one to get. And it sure is cute, isn’t it? – Sean Gaffney

Medalist, Vols. 1-2 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Even if the story in this series weren’t great, I’d likely still be recommending it solely based on the art, which is frequently stunning, and has beautifully characterized expressions. Fortunately, the story is also excellent. A former ice dancer who was never quite able to go pro discovers a young girl who is trying desperately, despite her mother’s misgivings, to be an Olympic figure skater. Like a lot of lead girls in this sort of series, she’s not got a lot of knowledge but has a great deal of raw talent and iron will. Together, the two of them try to pull each other out of the depression they were in. The girl being eight years old means there’s a lack of mentor-mentee romance you might get if she were a teen. This is just sweet. – Sean Gaffney

Night Bus | By Zuo Ma | Drawn & Quarterly – Finding independent Chinese comics translated into English is something of a rarity, so I was very excited to see that Zuo Ma’s Night Bus was being released. I had previously encountered Zuo Ma’s work in the underground Chinese comic anthology Naked Body published by Paradise Systems. Drawn & Quarterly’s edition of Night Bus, translated and with ending notes by Orion Martin (founder of Paradise Systems), actually gathers stories from two of Zuo Ma’s books: Walk, a collection of ten short works, and an updated and expanded version of the long-form comic Night Bus. In these stories, Zuo Ma frequently incorporates semi-autobiography, fantastical dreamscapes, and the supernatural, working and reworking themes and ideas throughout the volume. Elements of reality and unreality are interwoven and fused in powerful, visceral ways, capturing intense emotions of anxiety and dread, but also evoking a sense of nostalgia. Night Bus is an unsettling, riveting, and compelling collection. – Ash Brown

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 12 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – The series works best when it’s equating the stresses and paranoia of the inner mind with outer monsters to match. Sometimes, though, it’s just a bunch of fighting, and the monsters seem to be there just to be antagonists. Fortunately, there’s still our two leads, who remain the best thing about this series. Kyutaro is trying his best to retain his sense of self, and fortunately he has Fumi to help, who is happy to go all the way with him, although perhaps not with the snake inside him. They don’t, however, and Fumi ends up getting her best moments when she shows off what a vicious badass she’s become. That said, the danger of this series is it doesn’t come out often enough, so I forget the plot a lot. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 13 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – The start of this volume is a lot of fun, as Sariphi ends up dealing with a tsundere female version of his highness, a woman who is said to have beast ancestry in her past and thus is accused of being evil. Given that this series tends to run on pure Fruits Basket, it’s no surprise that Sariphi is able to help with the pure power of shininess. All is not well back home, though, and it’s becoming pretty clear that endgame is going to be revealing the King’s other form as an excuse for executing him… and I would not be surprised if they blame Sariphi for it. This is still very good, and remains a wonderful reminder of the days when we always got piles of Hana to Yume manga like it. – Sean Gaffney

Sazan & Comet Girl | By Yuriko Akase | Seven Seas – Perhaps the most striking aspect of Sazan & Comet Girl is that the all of the artwork is in full color. Akase’s watercolor illustrations of planetary and interstellar backgrounds in particular are simply gorgeous. Story-wise, however, Sazan & Comet Girl isn’t particularly innovative, primarily revisiting and combining familiar tropes and character types of its genre. Even so, the volume is still great fun, coming across as a nostalgic, loving homage to older science fiction media. The entire series has been released as a single omnibus volume in English and doesn’t have obvious chapter breaks, so once the story gets going it just goes and keeps going, shifting from romantic comedy into action adventure before returning fully to its underlying love story. Sazan is goofball of a lead and Mina, the titular comet girl, is an endearing heroine—apart from the artwork, the manga is at its best when focusing on them. – Ash Brown

This Wonderful Season with You | By Atsuko Yusen | TOKYOPOP – Junpei Enoki is a bespectacled nerd who belongs to the electronic engineering club. Ryousuke Shirataki, a “normie” with a reputation for being cool and manly, is searching for something after an injury ruined his baseball prospects. After Shirataki joins the club, they get to know each other and, ultimately, fall in love. The tone is mostly comedic, with an art style that reminds me a bit of vintage shounen, and I really liked that some characters who seem like comic relief end up being important. I also loved how each boy has an unexpected side to him that the other sees immediately while others fail to notice. Shirataki appeared aloof, but he was actually suffering, and it’s so nice at the end to see him goofy and happy. I could’ve done without the final sex chapter, but aside from that, this was great. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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shipcestuous · 7 years ago

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Odd and True episode 3: also Revenge of the Shipper (because RotS was the 3rd SW episode and I KNOW that) (Submission)

This one will cover chapters 7 through 14. Sorry for sending this in before giving you time to even post the second installment! This review thing has gotten seriously out of hand, but then, I didn’t expect there to be so much freaking content for this family’s relationships. I came into this expecting a cute but non-canon sisters relationship, something to read over a free weekend or something, but this… This family is consuming my life.

Anyway, Od and Tru arrive in Chicago, and Od quickly latches onto a ghost-hunting mission. Tru, for her part, still has some valid concerns. “My eyes moistened with tears over her belief in me–and yet, I still found myself not believing in her. I still worried about her sanity, dreadfully.“ They’re attacked by a mugger, but when Tru is threatened, Od wallops the guy. Protective siblings are another one of my favorite things.

The following scene of Od and Tru taking shelter at a hotel for the night also mirrors the scene of Magnus and Od finding shelter in the previous chapter. Except that this time, it’s a contrast. Magnus had just exposed Od to some upsetting truths, and then he brought her to a brothel of all places for shlter. Here, Od is still shielding Tru from the truth about their parents, and brings her to a nice hotel and ensures she’s well taken care of (even if she is also talking to Tru about ghosts, which make her uncomfortable).

Od also reveals that while she was away from Tru and traveling with the circus, she fell madly in love. Tru narrates, ”Jealousy stung my heart. All that time that she’d been gone, I’d pictured her as being as miserable and lonely as I was.“ Od claims she and the person she loved were forcibly separated a year ago, and Od was told they just weren’t meant to be together. If nothing else, this kind of parallels her and Tru, too. Also, Tru continues to be so explicitly jealous, and I love it.

Tru then has an upsetting premonition, and Od comforts her, holding her hands and telling her that they can face whatever they need to face, because they’ve already faced worse and ”we’ve done it before, Tru. We’re lionhearted. Both of us.“ I love how Od always gets upset on Tru’s behalf whenever Tru claims she’s weak. I love how, even though she’s Tru’s protector, Od also seems to wholeheartedly believe in her sister’s own strength.

In the next chapter, we’re back in 1896, just after Maria moves with little Od and Tru to Oregon. Maria has a miscarriage and is rushed to the hospital, and six-year-old Od desperately sends a mental message for Magnus to ”come help us. I’m still mad at you a bit, but please, please, we need you!“ In Oregon is where Tru gets polio, and Od takes on that protective role toward her sister (“my Tru,” she calls her) even though she’s still so young herself. The girls are taken in by their aunt and her husband during this time.

Next chapter, the present-day (well, the 1909 present-day, haha) Od and Tru reach Philadelphia. Od runs into a young man she recognizes, and immediately Tru’s heart stops (figuratively, of course) with the fear that this is the “beloved” Od had spoken of. Apparently it’s not, but it is Cy, a boy she mooned over when she was younger in Oregon, so Tru tries to make him leave them alone. Though Od isn’t really happy to see the guy (she alludes to an incident in the past that left her life “in shambles”, which I presume we’ll learn about later on), even turning her back on him as he’s inviting her to join him on a supernatural adventure because she’s just that upset.

Instead, Od opts to look into this lead with just Tru. Tru is starting to believe Od about all of this “monsters and magic” stuff by now, which of course pleases Od. And then the girls visit their mother’s address, although Od fears that Maria will “bring up all sorts of awful things” (probably family-related bc honestly, are any even semi-important characters in here who aren’t part of this family?). Her fears are moot for the moment, since nobody answers the door. (Turns out she left the house the previous week, according to a neighbor.)

In chapter 10, we get another Od POV flashback–this time it’s from 1905, 4 years before the current plotline of the book. It’s Tru’s eleventh birthday, and she asks Od to tell the story of her birth again because it’s tradition. Od notes that she “vowed to never tell her the truth about our father’s absence on the day of her birth, or of the fact that he had kept our mother hidden away in a remote part of the world for more than seven long years while married to another woman. Tru didn’t need to know that our mother continued to work in the city to pay off debts and that Aunt Vik referred to Mama as ‘immoral’ and ‘sinful’ whenever she spoke of her…. I didn’t know how Mama earned money. Aunt Vik kept us so sheltered, I wouldn’t have understood it if she ever named our mother’s profession.”

I know I’m just retreading old ground here, but I love how determined Od is to protect her younger sister. Not just physically, but emotionally. Even if the truth eats away at her and it would probably feel better for her if she could share it with her closest person, she keeps it from Tru anyway to protect her. And I. Love. That. So much. (Even if I also can’t wait for Tru to inevitably find out because I’m always a slut for angst.)

Anyway, that same night when Tru falls asleep (“with a birthday smile lingering on her lips”), Od is startled by banging at the front door. She sneaks out of the girls’ room to see who is her aunt and uncle’s visitor, and it’s Maria. She’s worried for Od as her fateful 15th birthday is approaching, and she also asks Viktoria if Magnus has come by because Maria is worried for his safety. She also comments after a brief exchange with Od that she’s “so much like your uncle Magnus.”

Viktoria shuts the door on Maria (who has been “drunk as a fiddler,” Vik says ,“and running around with strange men”), fearing that she’s going to be a bad influence on the girls. Maria bangs on the door, crying for her daughter. When Od returns to the bedroom, Tru is awake and hears the screaming, so Od claims it’s La Llorona, the weeping spirit seeking children, so Tru won’t have to know the truth. Od tells her something similar to what Magnus told her before she learned about her father: “You’re safe and loved. Don’t worry.“ And that’s the way the chapter ends.

Back in the present, the sisters eat at a restaurant, and their waiter asks about Tru’s cane. She’s understandably wary, but then learns the man’s little sister also had polio and just got put into a wheelchair. Tru and the waiter, Ezra Blue, quickly bond (their surnames are even similar, Grey and Blue) but tbh most of it is over the shared experience between Tru and Ezra’s five-year-old sister Celia. Tru tells him, “Tell little Celia you met a polio survivor who now hunts monsters.” (Not super relevant to our shippy interests here, but it’s a powerful and badass moment. Although Od immediately jumps to the conclusion that the guy has a crush on Tru and vice versa. If it does turn out to be true, there’s still the Od-and-Ezra and Tru-and-Celia parallel to point out here.)

Back at the hotel, Tru tries to ask Od how she knows Cy, the guy they ran into earlier. Od keeps trying to change the subject. She tells Tru, “Let’s stop talking about Cy, please. This is our journey, not mine and his” and calls Cy the last person in the world she wanted to see. That night, they fall asleep with Od’s head on Tru’s shoulder. “I trapped my arms around her and held her close, as if I were the older sister and she my little Odette.”

The next chapter is another Od flashback, this one from two years prior to the present. After the death of Viktoria’s husband, Od has to get a job where she’ll live under her employers’ roof (“without the warmth of my sister beside me”), and she worries about what will happen to Tru, and to Od’s schooling. Viktoria (I was wrong, btw; she was the oldest of her siblings, not Maria) says that she stopped attending school at Od’s age when her mother, and it “forced me to grow up and take care of my younger siblings, and I don’t regret a single second of my sacrifices.“ In order to provide for Tru, Od agrees to the job. She’ll be working for Cy’s family. I think we’re all getting bad vibes off this situation by now.

In a situation that parallels her parents, Cy tries to seduce the younger hired servant. But Od instantly responds, "I can’t let anything come between my sister and me." But eventually she caves because he’s persistent. It’s not exactly nonconsensual, but it still rubs me the wrong way (as it’s supposed to) because he’s her employer’s kid who therefore has power over her, and she’s also completely ignorant about what sex is and wouldn’t have let him do it if she’d understood what he was doing.

Even when she gives in, Od reflects that ”I should have kept my thoughts on Tru at all times and found relief from my loneliness elsewhere. But he was there to comfort and hold me, and all my other nights down in that basement hollow had proven so cold and desolate“ compared to how she was used to sleeping beside Tru’s warmth. In other words, she only did this because she was lonely from Tru’s absence, and here was someone offering her what she hoped would be comfort.

Back in the present, Od decides because of Tru’s wishes that the sisters will join Cy’s hunting party, but even then, Od says it’s because she’d regret missing this chance and she wants to catch the Leeds Devil instead of Cy doing it. When they do join up with Cy and co., he’s obviously trying to win Od over again by being nice to Tru, because it’s that obvious that Tru is the key to her heart. The rest of the posse they join up with want the sisters to stay behind because they’re sexist jerks and because of Tru’s leg, but Od keeps going on about how great Tru is, because of course she does. But even so, they leave them behind, alone.

In the next chapter, we’re back to Od’s POV from two years ago. She recalls her uncle Magnus urging her not to "grow up and make the same mistakes as your mother,” referring to Maria’s relationship with her employer Louis. But now, Od is pregnant, and she loses her job and is sent to a facility for girls pregnant out of wedlock to help them avoid “social ruin.”

When Od writes to Tru, she claims she’s traveling with the circus. Even in this, she keeps the truth from her sister in order to protect her. By now, she’s created this entire mythos of magic just to shield Tru. And maybe it’s not completely right of her to do that, but all of it is done out of so much love.

She decides she’ll name the baby Trudie Marie if it’s a girl, for her sister and mother, and Duncan Magnus (no idea about the first name, but the second is clearly for her uncle). She ends up having a girl, who is born only 4 days after Tru’s 14th birthday.

And that’s where I’m going to leave off this time. The next installment will probably be the last, but who can say?

I love how close the sisters are and that their relationship continues to be so central to the story and each other. Even though that’s the title, you sometimes never know. They love each other so much.

#asks #anonymous #r: sisters #tw: incest #od and tru #odd and true #submission #nr #commentary #noiv

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find-your-rp-partner · 8 years ago

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Looking for New Rpers for Winter Break!

▶ Hello possible roleplayers! I am in desperate need of some amazing roleplayers that are creative and original! If you’re in desperate need of a roleplay partner for some amazing times then please read below and see if you wanna talk even further!

A bit About Me

▹ I go by the names: Rex, Pink or Drowsy ▹ I’m 21+ of age ▹ I enjoy ooc chit chatting about characters, plots and mostly anything. ▹ I’m in love with really creative ideas, characters and plots. ▹ Is into m/m ships this also means trans. ▹I am universal when it comes to plots, so don’t be afraid when coming to explain your plots or just talk about plots with me. The more creative and original the plot is. ▹ My fave rp things: Badass older men, all kinds of older men, Baras, Sci-fi plots, Dark themes, gore, heavy smut, fluff, rad adventures.... ▹ I’m not a big fan of over using the same tropes within characters or plots. In small amounts I’m fine, but full on in everything is just overkill for me.

What I want in a roleplay partner

▹ I want someone who can be super creative (In plot, characters, everything)

▹ Someone who isn’t afraid to chit chat ooc style (If you don’t want to chit chat we don’t have to. We can just rp all day and night I don’t mind)

▹ Is 18+ (Self-explanatory, though if you don’t want to do smut or even gory shit it’s fine we don’t have to do that)

▹ Makes great and complex characters, settings and plots. (I badly want originality , I want roleplays that make me can’t wait for the next reply because I’m so far into it!)

▹ Doesn’t mind Dark Themes (If dark things is not your cup of tea then we don’t have to do it)

▹ Is fine with older characters (The youngest I will go is 20 years old. 19 -18 is pushing it for me. As for the oldest 58, I can go older but I don’t really think people go that old.)

▹ Writing is great (I would like to have semi-paras most of the time, yet if that is impossible then a few sentences if alright with me.)

▹ Doesn’t mind doing several different plots (Sometimes I get bored which is fine we all do, and I like to do different plots if the other one isn’t working for us! It’s totes fine)

OC Plots

Supernatural:

Angel and Demon: No one visits the lone demon who walks among the humans, because it is said that he was a traitor to hell and his brothern. Though one Angel breaks this rule to see exactly what is so wrong with this demon. When they get too close things become a bit unexpected.

Incubus and Vampire: One wants nothing but sex while the other just wants a group of his own mindless humans to control. The pairing is odd and shouldn’t have ever met before, yet now here they are trying to work together and get exactly what they want.

Boss Vampire and Vampire: They’ve been together for such a long time and yet the times are changing. As the world around them continues to move forward something must change within them as well. Or they might always be stuck..

That odd one and his gift: No one thinks that they will ever be able to talk or even help those that are dead. This wasn’t the case of a widowed male who just lost his husband and the other male who can see his dead husband perfectly fine. Now they must help each other in order to fulfill the deceased one’s wishes.

The monster under his bed: There are odd doors to our world and yet monsters can only get in one way...During midnight and under the bed of anyone the choose. Though one monster seems to get stuck within the human world...Can he survive?

A new sight: A male must repay his grandfather’s dept, by taking the place of a bodyguard to a particular man. This man does a dangerous line of work, just know that when anyone calls him it’s usually because it’s a last resort and someone will get their soul taken from it.

Oddly different now: A lone older male finally gets to see his best friend he hasn’t seen in years, yet once they meet again his best friend is a demon with plans to make his life a living hell.

Talent Collector: There is one male that wants to have just one talent, yet being around nothing but amazing talentful people...He becomes jealous and desperate. Though one day someone gives him the opportunity he thought he could never have. Now he must go around being someone he isn’t and return home to the true person he took his new identity from. This start to turn stranger as they both fall in love with each other, yet one continues to collect more and more talents becoming filled with greed.

Fantasy:

The Elf and The Disciple: Being alone in the world is hard and it takes only one to change that. Though what if that certain one was just a normal human that didn’t deserve to be in your world?

Two Kingdoms: Opposite sides are ready to call for a great war, two kings wants nothing to do with each other and the only way for them to come together is to be deserted within their giant country and help each other out. Will they be able to do it?

The Soul of a Dragon: The last dragon within our world has woken up, yet they walk among us like humans. They are looking for a mate and will not stop until they find the right one.

Slice of Life:

Hidden freely: Everything was going fine for him, that was until his old best friend comes back in town. Now a hermits life will be changed upside down, the only question is...Can he take it?

Just married is the new job: He didn’t mean for any of this to happen but he was desperate. The amount of income he would take in will keep him comfortable and happy, the only thing he has to do is...Be the new wife to a complete stranger!

Ruining Purity: He will do whatever it takes to become a real man, even if that means dating the only person that’s one horrible being.

Two is a crowd: Growing up as the shy one isn’t the best way to live your life, though faking an alter ego to get through the day makes things a little easier. But what if there was someone who can see right through you and make you change back to your shy ways out in public. What would happen now?

No life?: Being too successful with your life can lead to having nothing to actually do. He works day in and day out, yet when a co-worker invites another person to a Christmas party his life is turned upside down.

The New Kind of Fired: He will get his revenge on the boss that fired him. No matter what and that’s why he’s the new intern at the same place, waiting for the perfect time to ruin his former boss’s life.

Fashion Meets Silence: Getting into a bet with a few of his friends, they decided that the most amazing male on campus must make a nerd into an amazing male as well. Agreeing to the terms, the job seems simple yet trying to actually do it turns to be a bit more challenge than actually planed.

Strong Enough To be Shocked: He gets his ass kicked all the time, everyday by the same bully, yet one day when he decides it’s too much. He finally goes over to this bully’s house to find out a bit more than he planed. Now there’s too much on the line and he has to buddy up with the same person who always kicked his ass. Can he do it?

Sci-Fi:

Alien meets human: He’s 100,000 miles away from home, yet there is a bigger threat on this planet he landed on. With the help of one human maybe he can save it and return home.

Two Crazy: Space is gigantic, and the worlds within it are all unique and special. Then why is it so hard to hide from the Galactic Government!? They jump from planet to planet, doing odd jobs, having fun and hiding from the feds! What exactly did they do to get in trouble with the space cops anyway!?

It’s Go Time Old Man: Being the most smartest person in the world comes with one major thing…A sickness for it and everything that lives on it. Taking advice from a friend, a lone scientist opens his lab to those that want quick money and have a place to finish up on any work they have. Though once they come in, they will have to go on a few adventures to places they never knew existed, while being with one utter mess of a Scientist.

A new voyage: Assembling a team filled with the best people to go out and free planets from under the rule of the Galactic Stars, a captain destined for greatness, leads a team to such planes. With the help of his best friend who is a Co-Captain on his ship everything becomes a battle for glory, pride and justice.

Never Surrender: After a horrible accident of their empire being taken down, a lone navigator and trainer seek out on an adventure to take revenge on those that planed this. There is heart break and mistakes on the way, but they continue to get through and end up victorious.

Fake Love?: A Companion robot that is in love with its owner never thought that his owner would actually fall in love with a real human. Now as emotions arise things are becoming difficult for the two, if he keeps pushing away like this then soon he might be turned off and left alone forever.

Romance:

An Old Feel: He will never get over it any time soon, this is why he shuts off his feelings and lets his days go by without feeling a thing. Though when a new co-worker is within his place perhaps he can feel again?

Formal Love: Searching for all of these years a demon has finally done it and found his lost love. Though they are reincarnated and seem to not remember their amazing past. Perhaps the demon will have to make them fall in love with them again.

Comedy:

The lucky foursome: You have the Newcomer, Slow Lover, Odd one and cool one, but can they really have a foursome without messing it all up? And even after it all why do they continue to be in each other’s lives?

Being married isn't Cracked up: He got married too fast and now both sides are starting to see just how boring being married is. Now they try everything to get that spark back into their marriage, no matter how crazy it sounds.

Horror:

Killing For Thrills: Follow two opposite end students as they travel at midnight to be in the underground murder school. Where all killer students come and participate in the biggest survival torment around. Will they enter in it and become the next mysteriously killed students?

Too strange: He had a normal life until meeting a monster that can rip him to shreds. Though he just found out that he can die and now even more of these cannibalistic monsters are coming in to his city trying to find the special immortal.

Action/Adventure:

One Kind Of Fate: Magical Boys have protected a Busy city for hundreds of years, yet as the darkness they defeated slowly disappeared so did they. Though in the near future things seemed to be turning for the worst, as the darkness decides to come back at full force making the last magical boy awaken from their slumber and defend the city once more, yet that can’t do it without the help of a single cop and his hidden powers.

Buddy and Wingman: They’ve gotten themselves into a lot of trouble over the years and now it seems that all of it is finally catching up with them. It’s time to right wrongs and do the whole thing called ‘life’ over again. Though can they really fix everything or is this just another pipe dream?

And heres a few more plots!

A spirit blesser and human:

The odd town that you are taken to if you sleep in a certain field

Mystery:

Detective and the new associate

Gossip Love: After a a student of a jr College vanishes out of thin air and a new student from over seas, seems to take the place of the other. A best friend tries to put together the clues as to what happens. Yet someone is on thier trail and it seems to be the new student. What secret is going on? And what does a popular gossip blog have to do with it?

Western:

Two outlaws

Sheriff and Prisoner

Crime:

Cop and Rookie

Being in prison but it's in the home of the cop that arrested you

Classic:

Modern Cinderella

Modern Beatty and the Beast

& Fandom stuff

Marvel: Tony/Bucky (I have on plot for this that I really want to do)

Overwatch: 76/ Reaper Junkrat/Roadhog Hanzo/Mcree Genji/Mcree Mercy/Pharah Tracer/Widowmaker

Fandom base but with oc’s:

Gravity falls Hero Academy Preacher KNB Sailor Moon

(If you have your own plots or even fandoms you would like to rp in then please tell me about them. All are welcomed. :) )

Contact: Email: [email protected] Kik: rexpinku Discord: Please email me with your info and a request of the Discord ID

(I will be roleplaying both ways, but Kik rps are limited to one para. I like them short on Kik. Email they can be as long as we want.)

When contacting me please tell me a little bit about yourself and what kind of plots you would like to do or have. Also a sample of your rp writing would be very much appreciated too, it isn’t really needed though. Thank you! And I can’t wait to chit chat with you!

#rp partner search #rp partner ad #rp ad #fandom #original #anime #marvel #mcu #cartoon #videogame #email #kik #other #submission

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